Display and dispensing rack



March 15, 1938. J. M. SCRIBA DISPLAY AND DISPENSING RACK Fil ed Nov.- 27, 1956 fnuelzfor." I 7 Jizrz [Y 501604 Patented Mar. 15, 1938 PATENT OFFICE- DISPLAY AND DISPENSING RACK John M. Scriba, Chicago, 111., 'assignor to Midland Wire & Metal Products, corporation of Illinois Chicago, 111., a

Application November 27, 1936, Serial No. 112,932

6 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing apparatus. In its illustrated form it is embodied in a display rack for packages such as cans, the packages being arranged in rows so that when the front package of each row is removed a spring urged follower slides the remaining packages forward to the front position.

The present invention has several advantages as compared to display or dispensing racks heretofore known. One of these advantages is the economical manufacture of the device made in accordance with this invention. It can be made almost entirely of wire, although it is preferred that the frame structure be formed of fiat metal strips. It will be evident, however, that such strips are of very little cost and easily assembled. The follower elements may be stamped out of sheet metal.

Another advantage of the display and dispensing device of the present invention is its compactness. Although the followers are pushed forward by springs operating on rods, this result is accomplishedwithout requiring any extra room for the springs. An important detail making this possible is that the brace for the follower extends forwardly under a package so that it does not. require any extra room while the spring extends rearwardly from the front end of the brace so that it may collapse under the brace and permit the follower to move all the way back in the frame.

Other advantagesv and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention chosen for illustration, a large number of cans being illustrated as carried thereby.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken just in front of a follower.

Fig. 3 is a broken sectional view showing one follower in a forward position and one in a rear position; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a stamped sheet metal blank ready to be reshaped to form the follower.

Although this invention may take numerous forms, only one has been chosen for illustration. In this form the dispensing apparatus is carried by a framework including metallic bands I l and end frames l2. The bands ll may each be made from a single strip having its ends welded together. The frames I2 may each be made from a single piece of flat bar stock bent to an inverted U-shape. It is preferred that there be added to this a brace member 13 which also serves to prevent sideward removal of the packages held in the rack. The horizontal portion 14 of the U serves a similar purpose for the packages in the top layer and also serves as handles for the rack. The bands H may be welded or otherwise secured to the end frames l2, the upper band H thus being supported in proper spaced relationship to the'lower band and the lower band ll serving as a frame support, as well as a stand for the device to space the spring urged welded to the front and back sides of thebands l H and having a loop therein extending around front and back wires I1 and 18 of the inner dispensing structure.

A plurality of slide wires H] are spot welded to the top sides of the front and back wires and serve the dual function of spacing the front and back wires I! and 18 prior to their being secured to the band I l and of furnishing the sliding sup port for the followers 2| and the packages or cans 22.

The follower 2| includes not only the vertical portion to which the reference numeral 2! is applied but also an integral forwardly extending brace 23 which, as seen best in Fig. 3, is bent downwardly at its front end to form a leg 24 which slidably engages a wire 26. The follower 2| is shapedyfrom a blank, seen best in Fig. 4, which may, easily be stamped from sheet metal, the dotted lines in Fig. 4 indicating the positions at which the blank is subsequently bent to form w the brace'23 withits leg 24. In stamping the blank the holes'Zl and 2B are punched out, with the slide wires it subsequently being passed through the holes 21, and the brace wire, 25 passing through the hole 28.

The follower 21 is urged forwardly by a spring 3! which is mounted on and encircles the brace wire 26, and extends between the leg 24 and the rear wire it. This spring is of such a nature that it can be compressed substantially within the space provided by the brace 23 so that when the follower 2| is moved to its rearmost position, as shown in the right hand side of Fig. 3, it may slide directly against the rear wire 18. This is an important feature since it permits full use of all the available space. If the spring were in front of the brace, the follower 2| could not move the last can 22 to the forward position. If the spring operated between the vertical portion 2| of the follower and the rear wire I8, it would not permit the follower to move to the extreme rear position and fewer cans could be inserted in the rack.

To prevent interference between the rows of cans guide wires 33 are provided, being of a broad U-shape and being welded at their ends to the front and back wires I! and I 8. The horizontal portion I3 and I I of the end frame may be considered as guide wires also, so it is seen that each row of cans slides on the slide wires I9 between a pair of guide wires.

The assembly of the rack is very simple and comprises three main steps. One step is the assembly of the dispensing device in which the slide wires I9 and the brace wires 26 are welded to the top and bottom respectively of the back wire I8. The springs 3| are then slipped over the brace wires 25 and the followers applied to both the brace wire 26 and the slide wires I9. The front Wire I I is then welded to the front ends of the wires I9 and 26 and the guide wires 33 are welded to the front and back wires I! and I8.

The frame for the rack is formed in an independent step. Each of the end frames is formed by bending a fiat rod edgewise to a U-shape and welding the brace member I3 to its legs. The two bands I I are shaped to rectangular form and the ends of each are joined together. Then the end frames are spot welded within the bands I I, thus completing the frame structure.

When the dispensing device and frame have thus been completed, it is merely necessary to secure the dispensing device within the frame structure. This is done simply by inserting the dispensing device in its proper position, applying two or preferably three brackets I6 over each of the front and back wires I! and I8 and welding the ends of these brackets to the band I I. The rack is then complete.

In use, the display rack may be positioned in the open or it may be positioned within a case and have only its front exposed. In any event, a row of cans is placed in front of each follower, the follower being pressed back as successive cans are put in front of it. As a can is removed from the front of each row, the follower will press the remaining cans forward against the band II. This keeps the front face of the rack full of cans and thus not only maintains an attractive appearance but enables a purchaser to see at a glance the full assortment of cans or other packages to make a choice therefrom. Such a rack as this is ideally suited for use as a spice and condiment rack in which the various spices and condiments sold by a given manufacturer may all be included in the same rack preferably in uniform cans with the full assortment displayed in a neat and attractive manner with possibly a different spice in the cans of each row.

The disclosures of this application are illustrative and the invention is not to be limited by them. In fact, if modifications or improvements are not at once obvious, they may be devised in the course of time to make additional use of the broad ideas taught and covered by this application. The claims are intended to point out novel features and not to limit the invention except as may be required by prior art.

I claim:

1. A display device comprising front and rear wires, slide support wires extending between said front and rear wires and secured to the top thereof, a brace wire extending between said front and rear Wires and secured to the bottom thereof, a follower sliding on said slide support wires and including a forwardly extending brace having a downwardly extending leg at its front end sliding on said brace wire, and a spring carried by said brace wire and extending between said leg and said rear wire to urge said follower to a forward position, said spring being collapsible substantially within the length of said brace and said brace being substantially as short as the thickness of. a package for which said display device is designed.

2. A display device comprising front and rear wires, slide support wires extending between said front and rear wires and secured to the top thereof, a brace wire extending between said front and rear wires and secured to the bottom thereof, a follower sliding on said slide support wires having a bracing portion riding on said brace wire, and a spring carried by said brace wire, said spring being collapsible substantially within the length of said bracing portion and said bracing portion being substantially as short as the thickness of a package for which said display device is designed.

3. A support and follower structure for a combination display and dispensing device for articles of substantial thickness, said structure ineluding a frame and support means thereon, with said means adapted to slidably carry said articles thereon, a follower slidably carried by said support means including a back member for moving said articles forwardly and a brace member for maintaining said follower in vertical position, said brace member extending forwardly from said back substantially the thickness of one of said articles, and a spring carried by said frame longitudinally of the support means and compressed between the front end of said brace and the frame at the rearmost point of movement of said follower to urge the follower and consequently the article in front of the same forward- 1y to the front of the frame, and being compressible to lie substantially wholly beneath said brace member.

4. A display device for carrying packaged goods and adapted to automatically present a package for display after removal of a package therefrom, said device comprising a display level, including a plurality of package dispensing units and each of said units including a package follower having.

an upstanding pushing plate and a bracing portion integral therewith having a portion extending forwardlyfrom the bottom of the pushing plate and a portion extending downwardly from said forward portion, supporting rods for slidably carrying the pushing plate extending longitudinally between the front and rear of the device and secured thereto, a stop at the front end of the unit to stop the forward movement of a package on the supporting rods, and a spring carried by each unit beneath the level of the supporting rods acting upon the bracing portion to urge the follower from the rear toward the front of the device upon removal of a package from the unit to automatically push a package to take the position of that removed.

5. A display device for carrying packaged goods and adapted to automatically present a package for display after removal of a package therefrom, said device comprising a frame having a combination supporting band and package stop extending across the front of the device, a plurality of dispensing units in the frame with each unit including a pair of spaced apart support wires extending longitudinally from the band to the'rear of the frame, and a brace wire lying intermediate the support wires and parallel longitudinally thereto with said support wires and said brace wire each secured at its ends in said frame in a manner to maintain said three wires in rigid spaced relationship, a package follower slidably carried on said three wires, and a spring on said brace wire acting on said follower to urge it forwardly in the unit whereby to push forwardly one or more packages slidably carried on said support wires with the rear package engaged by the follower and with the front band acting as a stop to limit the forward movement of such one or more packages.

6. A combination display and dispensing device for packaged goods including a frame having a pair of U-shaped end members and a relatively wide band lying in a horizontal plane and secured between said end members and entirely around the same, a plurality of dispensing units provided entirely within the confines of the band and positioned side by side across the frame between the end members, a front member rigidly supported on the rear side of the front portion of the band, and each dispensing unit including a pair of sup port wires each rigidly secured at one end to the top of said front member and extending rearwardly therefrom to a rigid fastening with said frame at the rear thereof for slidably carrying one or more packages thereon with said packages adapted to be urged forwardly to stop against the band, and a spring pressed follower having a pushing plate apertured to slide on said support wires and lie against the rearmost package on the wires,-and a compressible spring carried longitudinally by said unit below the plane of the support wires acting on said follower to urge it forwardly toward the front portion of the band and longitudinal means on said frame provided below the plane of the support wires adjacent thereto for carrying said compressible spring.

JOHN M. SCRIBA. 

